Data optimisation + Cloud = smart operator services
Citrix today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Bytemobile, a provider of data and video optimisation solutions for mobile network operators. Citrix said the acquisition gives it a presence in the core infrastructure of more than 130 mobile operators in 60 countries around the world.
Citrix said it plans to build on Bytemobile as the center of its go-to-market strategy for mobile network operators — retaining and growing its investment in the Bytemobile brand, technology, products, employees and customer relationships. Bytemobile will continue as an independent product group within the Citrix cloud networking group.
The announcement press release said that Citrix and Bytemobile will be able to offer operators combined solutions that deliver a high quality user experience to mobile subscribers, while helping operators manage the exponential growth of mobile network traffic with the best performance, visibility and efficiency. The acquisition builds on a strategic partnership announced earlier this year that combined the Bytemobile Smart Capacity technology with the Citrix NetScaler line of cloud networking solutions.
"The cloud and mobile revolutions are rapidly converging, and mobile operators are at the heart of this convergence," said Klaus Oestermann, group vice president and general manager of cloud networking at Citrix. "With the integration of Bytemobile technology, products and intellectual capital, Citrix will be uniquely positioned to be a leader in the global mobile data and video infrastructure market in the LTE era."
Since announcing their earlier strategic partnership at Mobile World Congress in February 2012, Citrix and Bytemobile have collaborated to deliver the Bytemobile T1100 Traffic Director, which helps operators scale next-generation mobile networks and apps with the application delivery intelligence and performance of the NEBS-compliant Citrix NetScaler platform. With this acquisition, Citrix and Bytemobile will further accelerate the ability to bring mobile operators solutions to power cloud services.
"The integration of Bytemobile will enable us to extend our value proposition to the edge of the network, bringing content closer to the end user," continued Oestermann. "The benefits to network operators and their subscribers include faster, more efficient, more reliable, and more manageable networks; higher performance resulting in better service and a better user experience; and scalability to process growing volumes of data traffic at a much lower cost."
"We are excited about the significance of this transaction for the industry, our customers, our employees, and our stockholders," said Chris Koopmans, chief operating officer of Bytemobile. "With the rollout of LTE and other next-generation networks, the mobile data market is poised to grow dramatically in the coming years. The addition of Bytemobile solutions to the Citrix portfolio will accelerate the fulfillment of our vision and investment in the future of the industry."